More on writing

Tonight I have been busy with writing advertising copy. It is a different type of writing than newspaper work, and I like it. Not enough to want to do it day in and day out, but it is a refreshing change, especially when the client is easy to work with. The one thing that always strikes me about it is the need for economy, which is, of course, part of newspaper writing. The more I do this sort of thing, the more I realize why writers like Hemingway wrote the way they did. Then I start to think about what our newspapers would be like if wordy writers like Pasternak filled their pages. Not a pretty thing to imagine.

Features writing, though, has become a strange subgenre of newspaper writing. It took me a long time to get over much of what I learned about writing to be able to please my editors. Breeziness, the dreaded second person singular, all of those horrid things have become the norm for most features writing. I think I know where the blame should go, but I am not sure. The editors I know watch too much television. Their concept of language is overly informed by the sitcom quip. Restaurant reviews that make me cringe are often the ones that get praised by my editors. I read them back and they feel like they belong on The West Wing. Ick.

Anyway, speaking of newspaper writing, if you want the full (breaking) printed story of what happened to Campion College, be sure to get your hands on the current issue of SF Faith. My story is on the front page, so you can't miss it.

For better news on the Bay Area Catholic higher education front, be sure to read the next issue, where I will have a story about the St. Anthony of Padua Institute. Not wanting to scoop myself, I will refrain from posting much on this blog until the article comes out in print. All I will say now is Great Books based, liberal arts education designed to be amazingly affordable. Getting back to the roots of Catholic education. Stay tuned. Details at 11.